Court acquits 45 in Kanpur riots case after nearly 3 decades

On Friday, the court acquitted all 45 persons due to lack of evidence as eyewitnesses, including policemen, refused to identify the accused in the case, said government counsel, Kanpur, Rajendra Uttam. He said that the court examined 12 prosecution witnesses.

All the accused were out on bail, said defence counsel, Shakeel Ahmed Bundela.

According to the prosecution, on the day of the incident, some members of a particular community staged a protest, demanding action against a youth accused of assaulting a mosque’s Imam.  The protesters called for the arrest of the accused.

As the agitation spread to various areas, demonstrations intensified, with meetings being held on the streets. A police team soon reached the spot and told the protesters to disperse, citing the illegality of the gathering.

Meanwhile, some people were also protesting against the lack of electricity supply in the area. The situation escalated when the protesters turned violent, pelting stones and allegedly opening fire on a police team.

In the chaos, police constable Kunwar Pal Singh suffered a bullet injury. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Following the violence, Kanpur police booked 60 people for rioting.

Over the years, 13 of the accused died and the files of two others were separated from the rest, said defence  counsel Bundela.

In a separate case, four accused in the riot case have been sentenced to three years of imprisonment under the Arms Act. However, they have been granted bail since their sentence is less than three years, said Rajendra Uttam.